May 11, 2012

Today we have the 2nd place winner in my students' writing contest. (See the 3rd place story here.) You never know what you'll get when you ask students to write from the perspective of an animal! Here's a twist on The Three Little Pigs ...

Confession of the Big Bad Wolfby Natalie Bui

“Stop…What’s happening? Wolves can write, and a confession? But, not just any wolf? That’s…the big bad wolf. A….a…a…”

Those might be some of the questions that are popping out of your head after you have run at least a mile away from me. I must admit that yes, I can speak human language and yes, I am the Big Bad Wolf. What’s wrong with that anyway? It’s not my fault that you are scared of me. It’s old Grimm’s fault. He always says bad things about me just because I’m hungry, and I want to eat. Like anyone else, I have emotion, too. In fact, I’m very shy and sensitive. But now, I have to stand out, to clear my name from all that bad reputation, and to tell you what really happened that night between me and the three little pigs.

After a long, starving weekend, I went hunting again. It was Easter Break, so most animals in the forest had gone away to visit their families. I’d been walking forever, but still, there was no food in sight. Fortunately, I saw a big pond full of fish. Filled with happiness, I immediately jumped right into the pool and caught lots of fish. What? You say you’ve never seen a wolf that eats fish before? Well, use your imagination. It’s a fairy tale. Let’s get back to my story. I was enjoying my fish prize when a big drop of rain fell on my face as well as my newly-made fire. Wet and exhausted, I fell down and cried, desperately holding my half-cooked fish in my hand, wishing that a fairy godmother might appear. Suddenly, I heard music coming from afar. I immediately hopped up from desperateness, put the fish in my bag and started to run as fast as I could to where the music came from. After a mile or so, I ran across a beautiful house made out of straw. Beautiful but flimsy, I told myself. Through the window, I saw a little pig singing and dancing joyfully. I hurriedly knocked on the door.

"Dear little pig, I’m cold and wet. Could you please let me in?" I asked. Unfortunately, I not only have the ugliest look but also the most recognizable voice in the world: evil, creepy and somehow girly!

The poor little pig yelled out: "Never! Go away, Big Bad Wolf!"

My nose tickled, and a sneeze came before I could stop myself. A-A-Ah-Chooooooooooooo……………!

I must have had a cold. Straw overwhelmed my face. When I opened my eyes, the straw house had magically disappeared. Where was this super power coming from? It must have been the result of my track practice recently. The poor terrified little pig had dashed away as fast as he could.

"Wait! I’m so sorry! I will help you build that house again!" I exclaimed. I sprinted after him with the fish bags smacking on my back. He got into another house made of sticks and locked it.

Better than a straw house, but still not so safe, I thought. Through the window, I saw two pigs shaking with fright. It must be his brother over there. I asked again: "Dear little pig, I’m cold and wet. Could you please let me in?"

“Never, go away Big Bad Wolf!" they answered.

That was when I felt like another sneeze coming. A-A-Ah-Chooooooooooooo……………!

A rain of sticks fell upon my head. Again, the two little pigs disappeared before I could explain anything. I followed them immediately. This stupid fish bag was getting heavier and heavier because of the rain. Finally, I came to a gorgeous house made of bricks. Through the window, I saw three pigs with stunned faces. How many brother pigs are there? Again, I asked: "Dear little pig, I’m cold and wet. Could you please let me in?"

"Never, go away Big Bad Wolf!" they shouted out.

That’s when I felt a sneeze coming in. Not again! Oh please, oh God, I prayed, I will definitely die if a rain of bricks falls on my head this time. A-A-Ah-Chooooooooooooo……………!

Fortunately, God was fast. The house was still there, and I was still alive. I jumped with joy and happiness. Unfortunately, I ended up landing on their chimney. This must have been another result of my track practice. Suddenly, I smelled something. That’s weird. I smell like BBQ, I thought. I looked down, just to see smoke coming out from my feet. I screamed in horror, and jumped back out. I landed safely on the ground, but it felt like I was missing something. My tail….and my fish had become part of the Pigs' supper. I walked away, hungry, wet and burned, feeling terrible. Well, I did hear that Little Red Riding Hood will visit her grandma next week. I should try my luck then!

And as they say: “And they all lived happily ever after. The end.”

About the author:Natalie Bui (left) is a sophomore from Vietnam. She was a member of her school's speech team in 2011-2012, and she was the novice serious prose champion at one meet. She enjoys reading and sleeping in her spare time.

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